THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The State Transport Department’s order making badges not mandatory for commercial drivers to ply light weight vehicle will impact lives of hundreds of youngsters as now they need not go through the lengthy process of obtaining badges, also known as commercial licences, to run taxis.
The exemption will be applicable to vehicles weighing up to 7,500 kg (gross vehicle weight). That means autorickshaws, two-wheelers (commercial service) and small taxi cars can be driven without badges.
Earlier, procuring badges was a tiresome task as the prospective drivers need to undergo an online test one year after obtaining licences if they have to drive commercial vehicles.
As the new rule came in to being last week, it will now empower youngsters to take up the job of drivers without much hiccup. The order came close on the heels of Union Government’s directive in this direction, which in turn was a follow up of the Supreme Court order of July 2017.“Badges are one thing that keep people away from becoming commercial drivers. They don’t want to wait for one more year and then appear for another exam to obtain badges. Now things will change.
Youngsters can take up driving as a part-time job if they know driving. In the long run, it will create a lot of opportunities for young people including students to earn a living as part-time drivers,” said a senior Regional Transport Officer.
Dinesh Kumar, who has been working as a food delivery boy, said he can now work without fear of being caught as the government has done away with the badges for light motor vehicles. By rule, driving a two-wheeler for commercial purpose earlier required badges.
“Though the police have not stopped me and asked for my badge, but in my mind I had this fear of getting caught someday,” he said. Now I don’t need to think about it, Dinesh added.Muhammed Rafi, a resident of Vallakadavu, had wanted to drive airport taxi during free time, when he was a student. However, he couldn’t do it as he did not posses a badge. “I can now register my car as a commercial taxi and drive by myself. There is no need to hire a driver now,” he said.
Enforcement RTO K M Shaji felt doing away with badges can lead to more road accidents.
“Earlier, to pass examination to procure badges, one required to learn the basic traffic rules. Those who wanted to be dedicated drivers alone applied for badges. Now, anyone who holds a driving license can be a commercial driver,” he said.